On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Human Rights Convention, the Federal Ministry of Justice invited guests to a winter workshop day. After the official welcome by Federal Minister Dr. Hubig, the group was given a tour of the building. This was followed by an introduction to Prof. Nußberger's book entitled Frei und gleich. Die Menschenrechte (Free and Equal: Human Rights), which presents exciting cases on difficult human rights issues at the Court in Strasbourg. This was followed by a lively interactive exchange with students sharing their opinions. Finally, the European Competition was presented. It was an interesting day with insights into the work of the judiciary.

Three 9th-grade students met at the Zeiss Large Planetarium to discuss the topic of climate change. After a very interesting introduction in the dome hall of the building, they embarked on a rally to learn about different organizations that deal with various aspects of climate change (e.g., kosmos b). This was followed by three different keynote speeches on the stage of the dome hall. Dr. Romanovska from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research presented the latest findings on climate change data, Nicholas Omonuk, an activist from Uganda for Fridays for Future MAPA, reported on the concrete consequences of climate change in his village and for his community, and the Kipppunkte Kollektiv highlighted various ways in which young people can take action against climate change. After a lunch break, there was a panel discussion with local politicians to discuss specifically how Berlin can shape a climate-friendly future. The day culminated in a workshop on fake news on the topic. Many thanks to Ruby, Abigail, and Roxanne for participating in the conference!

At today's Toilet Congress at the Alte Pumpe, our students are actively addressing
an important topic: clean toilets and sustainable cities. Through various creative
workshops, ranging from live illustration and comics to theater, design thinking, and
fashion under the microscope, the students are learn how toilets, water, and
environmental protection are connected.
The day began with a performance on the topic of water injustice, followed by
exciting school presentations of projects at various Berlin schools and a
panel discussion on “Toilets and Sustainable Cities.” In the workshops, the students
developed their own ideas for the toilet of the future – resource-efficient and
sustainable.
The Toilet Congress is part of the German Toilet Organization's “Klobalisierte Welt”
education project, which raises awareness worldwide about the
importance of hygiene and basic sanitation. The young people not only learn about
global issues, but also how they can improve the situation at their own schools.
It was an inspiring day full of creative ideas and sustainable visions!

To find out how to apply for the Nelson Mandela School, please click here.

We look forward to welcoming you to our school community!

Dear school community, 

We hereby invite you to our music and art evening on December 4 at 6:00 p.m. in the Aula (P30) and at 7:30 p.m. in the new building. On this evening, the school orchestra, the NMS Pop Choir, and the music classes will present a diverse program of classical, pop, and film music. Afterwards, the art classes will present their work in an exhibition in the new building.

We look forward to spending a musical evening with you and getting in the mood for winter.

NMS Orchestra, NMS Pop Choir, and art classes

At the beginning of October, another festive award ceremony for all award graduates took place at the Rotes Rathaus. This time, the awards were presented by British Ambassador Andrew Mitchell and Berlin State Secretary for Education Christina Henke. And NMS received their first Gold Award! It was a wonderfully festive event and almost all graduates now want to complete the next level. Congratulations to our graduates and to everyone who motivated and supported them! 

The Berlin to Kalpitiya Cultural Exchange 2025 marked another meaningful step in the growing partnership between schools and communities in Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka, and Berlin, Germany. Rooted in cultural understanding and sustainability education, the collaboration involved the Nelson Mandela School and the Friedensburg-OS School in Berlin, together with six partner schools in Kalpitiya: Pallivasalthurai Muslim School, St. Sebastiyan Government Sinhala School Kudawa, St. Anne’s Thalawila, Roman Catholic Tamil School Kalpitiya, Sinhala School Kandakuliya Mune, and Kandakuliya Muslim Maha Vidyalaya. Key institutional partners included the Town Council of Kalpitiya (Pradeshiya Sabha), the District Office of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and SBNE Berlin, the Goethe-Institut Sri Lanka, and Kitesurfing Lanka.

From November 3 to 7, 2025, a cultural exchange sponsored by the German-Polish Youth Association took place for the 12th time at the International Youth Meeting Center at Morawa Castle (Lower Silesia). Around 40 children from the Społeczna Szkoła Podstawowa in Świdnica (Schweidnitz) and the Nelson Mandela School in Berlin came together under the motto “Just Different” to explore the question of how diversity and otherness can be interpreted artistically through theatre (Mr. Szulc), art (Ms. Martens), and music (Mr. Fischer). In addition to the creative work, the program included joint activities such as a trip to the city of Świdnica and an atmospheric campfire with Polish delicacies. However, the highlight of the week was meeting 98-year-old castle resident Melitta Sallai, who told us stories from her long and exciting life and answered our questions. The atmosphere between the Polish and German students was very warm from the start, and new friendships were quickly formed. We had a lot of fun and the time flew by. In the end, we all agreed: this cultural exchange was an unforgettable experience!Naima and Elena (8a)

On October 16, Mr. Wandtke's Biology class 13 visited the Gläserne Labor in Berlin-Buch where the students had the opportunity to work with modern molecular biology methods such as PCR and gel electrophoresis. The aim of the project was to find out whether genetically modified soy was present in various soy samples from different countries and areas of application.
Despite the long journey and the afternoon session, everyone showed great commitment and enthusiasm for the practical laboratory work. It was an exciting insight into the world of genetic engineering.

Once again this school year, students from grades 8 to 10 at Nelson Mandela School took part in the renowned Diercke Knowledge Geography Competition. With over 300,000 participants, this competition is the largest of its kind in Germany and enjoys great popularity every year – both in German schools at home and abroad.

We congratulate Taran Sharma from class 9a on winning the school competition! Milan Bercio (8a) and Jonathan Schubert (9c) also performed excellently, impressing with their outstanding knowledge of topography and geography.

We are already looking forward to the next Diercke Wissen competition in 2026 and hope that our students will participate enthusiastically again.

Anke Müller, Head of Geography

Congratulations and many thanks to Csenge, Shakira, Hannah, Oisin, Maano, and Gagik! They represented our school at the UNESCO Project Schools' soccer tournament. The event was traditionally organized by the Max-Planck-Gymnasium.

In midsummer temperatures, nine school teams took part.

The matches were played according to fair play rules. Mixed girls' and boys' teams from different schools played against each other in teams of four, without referees or offside. The teams were newly mixed in all nine rounds. Goals could only be scored with flat shots.

The winner was determined based on points for fairness, victories, and goals.
Our school team finished in 3rd place, just behind the Max-Planck-Gymnasium and the Königin-Luise-Foundation.

From June 10 to June 14 2025, we—four students from Q2 and Q4, under the supervision of Ms. Balsters and Mr. Goode—embarked on the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition. Our journey took us to the Oberpfalz in Bavaria, where we hiked through the terrain for five days and four nights, carrying all our belongings and equipment on our backs.

Extensive preparation went into planning the expedition: coordinating meals, repeatedly weighing and repacking our bags, and carefully plotting the routes and campsites we would follow.

Upon arriving in Windischeschenbach, our adventure truly began. We quickly found ourselves immersed in nature, walking along streams and moss-covered hills, trying to decipher what qualified as a path and what would lead us completely astray. Our campsite for the evening was a small clearing in the middle of the forest, with not another soul in sight. We ended the evening by cooking dinner on our portable stoves and finalizing our route for the next day.